Ahhh, but after my first paragraph I posted about the topic. I posted about how I liked/disliked any of the figures in the pack. Curse you Jim, curse you!!! j/k

So anyways, is anyone else not too fond of the Superman Head sculpt? I personally think it is not very good, I am not trying to be rude or bag on the sculptor who sculpted it. But I realyl like the original Superman head more. I think just having someone sculpt a new neck and beard over the original would have made him fit this "new" body just as well.

Ahhh, but after my first paragraph I posted about the topic. I posted about how I liked/disliked any of the figures in the pack. Curse you Jim, curse you!!! j/k

So anyways, is anyone else not too fond of the Superman Head sculpt? I personally think it is not very good, I am not trying to be rude or bag on the sculptor who sculpted it. But I realyl like the original Superman head more. I think just having someone sculpt a new neck and beard over the original would have made him fit this "new" body just as well.

D.

MOD- Sorry about that, Dusty...

Dusty wrote:

Anyways, I knew exactly what I was getting into when I bought this pack. Ironically though, I kept thinking "the paint apps. are going to suck, the paint apps. are going to suck" long before receiving the figures. But, because some of the 4-packs from before had excellent paint apps... A small part of me hoped these would be half decent. I suppose this should be another lesson to show me not to put too much hope in Mattel. (Thing is... I still won't learn it, I choose to give others the benefit of the doubt even when they let me down, and even when those others are a huge company, or people painting figures in China... and because I am still a huge JLU figure junkie through and through. )

So back to the figures, I love the sculpt of Vandal Savage himself, he looks so awesome. But I wonder if I am the only one who is not too fond of the "Hereafter" Superman head sculpt. Not to bag on the person who sculpted him, but I really prefer the original Superman sculpt much more.

No, it really didn't because I don't see what the big deal is. So it was a hard to find figure, so what? It's nothing new in the action figure world and what you posted is nothing I haven't read before in the last few years except for the Penguin comparison which you couldn't possibly back up the claim anyway. The point is sometimes people just get to figures before you do, companies distribute figures based on selling patterns or don't order as many. Sometimes the manufacturer (as in this case) decided that maybe Batman would sell better than Volcana. Yes, yes I know everyone likes to point the finger at Mattel and wag it at them and blame them for missing out on a figure. This is quite the popular thing to do these days.

There are plenty of action figure lines out there with hard to find characters . It happens all the time and has been going on for decades.

The only reason this is such a "big deal" is that she is the only figure really from those few waves that was not released again. If people remember Dead Shot, Star Sapphire, Obsidian and Big Barda were ALL like Volcana at one point until they were released again as singles or in a six pack in Obsidian's case.

Got my shipment confirmation for VS...sweet

Some of those other toys shouldn't even be in this comparison. All the Power of the Force figures from Star Wars were pretty rare for that matter. It was the last of the line, stores didn't want to carry them anymore. Kind of like these JLU figures that we are getting now. But there was much less a production run of everything bitd & for the most part they were toys that everyone opened & played with. It was before the collector craze, Same thing goes for the other figures mentioned. Wasn't Yak Face rare because Kenner had to stop making him since he resembled Joe Kool the camel? I guarantee if the Star Wars line continued, Kenner would have repackaged & rereleased all of those figures in the next series of figures. They did it with everything besides the Blue Snaggletooth since he was an error & not really even supposed to come out. .

Yakface was rare due to the fact that it was only released in Europe-- just like the last wave of the Secret Wars figures, The last 4 packs from SuperHero Squad, the bonus Star Wars Episode 1 Pit Droid Packs etc.. not the same level of comparison, it does not belong in that list.--

Of that list above- I believe Vision (and for that matter the original Warpath) is the only one on the list that matches the Volcana situation--it was just made in scarcer numbers for some reason-- (except Vision's rerelease Translucent version actually came out) -Both came out in the middle of a line.

_________________Fastest know derailer of threads in the know universe...expanded or otherwise.

When I heard that new figures based on Batman The Animated Series, i got my dad to drive me from Toys R Us to Toys R Us in search of them. I did not find any, except for The Penguin.

I was 12 or so. My god, that was 20 years ago! I've been collecting Timm-style figures for that long? Wowsers!

That was my experience also. I rarely saw the " real " looking combat belt Batman. But that was just because kids wanted a Batman that looked like Batman so he sold well. But there were Penguins just taking up space on the shelves because no one really wanted him. But for awhile when the next generation that didn't collect when they came out ( I was one of them ) started trying to get all the BTAS the Penguin was the top dollar figure. I started collecting around the time Clayface, Croc & Mr Freeze were hitting the shelves. So I needed Joker, Riddler, Two Face, Penguin, catwoman, Ivy. etc. I got them all at comic shows or comic book stores for $25 a piece or less. Penguin was a firm $80 to $120 every time I saw him for sale. When ebay started getting popular, that totally killed the market on the Penguin since ebay became flooded with them.

Last edited by Clayface on Mon Sep 24, 2012 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yakface was rare due to the fact that it was only released in Europe-- just like the last wave of the Secret Wars figures, The last 4 packs from SuperHero Squad, the bonus Star Wars Episode 1 Pit Droid Packs etc.. not the same level of comparison, it does not belong in that list.--

All the rest of the Power of the Force line was released in the states. I remember my grandparents taking me up to Kiddie City to get them on clearance one day. So was Yak Face only released in Europe due to the fact he looked to much like Camel cigarettes mascot? I swore that I heard something bitd about that was why I couldn't find him. Maybe it was just a rumor someone made up though. I was really young, not sure if it was ever true

I wasn't expecting that on the last episode of Angel but without a Buffy movie to wrap anything up Angel's cliffhanger ending stung a bit.

I don't think the ending was a cliffhanger per se. It was more like a freeze frame type of deal. Like in Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. I mean, now that I think about it, the whole thing was like a cross between the Godfather & Butch/Sundance, but with Vampires, Lawyers & Monsters. Anyways, just an opinion.

Either way, I'm told that Angel the Comic Book picks up where the series ended. So that might be fun to read. But you know... when all was said and done... Doyle, Darla, Fred, Cordelia, Lindsey and Wes, were all dead. And Gunn was about to die (or be turned.) So the only fates left "up in the air" were Angel's & Spike's. And those guys could go on forever.

Fone Bone wrote:

As for the Buffyverse coming back, it can't because both David Boreanaz and James Marsters are now too old to play Angel and Spike.

Granted, James looked a bit old when I last saw him (Supernatural); but if Bones is any indication, David preserves very well.

Backward Galaxy wrote:

red Ricky: That Timm quote only reinforces my point. He even calls the twist window dressing for what they were actually trying to accomplish. He goes as far to say it isn't even the point. So why have it at all?

From what I’ve read, they had intended for Terry to be Batman’s clone (not from the very beginning, but still, at an early stage) and had planned for the reveal to take place in the sequel to Return of the Joker.

The sequel never happened, as the studio felt that ROTJ had crossed a line and was too dark (hence all the “re-editing”). Anyways… the idea never went away and it was the late, great, Dwayne McDuffie who fixed things by casting Waller in the role of mastermind (originally meant for Selina Kyle) and turned Terry into Bruce’s son (as opposed to his clone.)

Fone Bone wrote:

Man, Red Ricky, I would HATE to have you mad at me because then you would demolish every single subsequent post I made with aplomb. I'm a little bit scared now.

I'm so scary... Monsters tell tales about me around campfires!

Fone Bone wrote:

red Ricky wrote:

I feel that the last two episodes (of Veronica Mars) summarized the series without the burden of a yearlong mystery.

I think I didn't like it because I saw the horrible "Veronica in the FBI" promo on the season three set. It was awful and made clear that they had no intention of ever giving fans closure on characters we had grown to love over three years. The first two season finales were MUCH better and more satisfying.

I loved the Season 1 finale but found the Season 2 ending too contrived. Season 3 was a welcomed change of pace after that Beaver mess. And I liked that. The thing about the ending was that, well… people expected Veronica & Logan to end up back together. And of course, were disappointed when it didn’t happen. I, on the other hand, always felt that Logan was a little bit too smug. A fratboy tool if you will. Don’t get me wrong, I liked that about him; but I also knew that Veronica would eventually get over him and move on. Much like she did with Duncan. Which is what smart girls normally do with their high-school sweethearts, and stuff.

Fone Bone wrote:

I actually find internet arguments about TV and Movies fun. It's when people personalize differing opinions that hurt feelings are involved. There was literally no offense intended with my remarks.

Well, I only reacted like that because you took some my favorite shows (mostly mentioned in passing) and completely decimated them. Plus, you didn’t mention what your favorite shows were. So it kinda felt more like a targeted attack than a discussion. If you had countered with some shows of your own… Well, I guess “the discussion” would’ve felt more balanced.

Dusty wrote:

Received my pack today... Man I love Vandal Savage he looks so cool, and I am glad I finally have this figure. But WTHeck Mattel!!! The paint job on these is horrible. I so wish I could say I am done with you for good, ( I was originally after this pack,) but I have been thinking about getting the Firefly 3-pack to complete my TNBA collection. But anyways, how is it I spend over 40 dollars for 3 figures and they can't even have decent paint applications?

Had the same problem with Future Static. So much so that I didn’t bother opening them. Instead, I called customer service... told them about the situation and they were nice enough to send me a shipping label. Stuck the 3-pack back in the box it came in, printed the label, walked down to the UPS store and shipped the figures back to Matty.

A replacement order was processed as soon as Matty got them, and all I can say is that… well… it’s not the Matty of old. At least it wasn’t for me (and this is coming from someone who’s still waiting for a Kalibak 2-pack to show up.) So all in all, my recommendation is that you don’t torture yourself and instead give customer service a shot. Who knows… maybe you’re due a good experience!

Clayface wrote:

Ham Salad wrote:

Funny story about BTAS Penguin:

When I heard that new figures based on Batman The Animated Series, i got my dad to drive me from Toys R Us to Toys R Us in search of them. I did not find any, except for The Penguin.

I was 12 or so. My god, that was 20 years ago! I've been collecting Timm-style figures for that long? Wowsers!

That was my experience also. I rarely saw the " real " looking combat belt Batman. But that was just because kids wanted a Batman that looked like Batman so he sold well. But there were Penguins just taking up space on the shelves because no one really wanted him. But for awhile when the next generation that didn't collect when they came out ( I was one of them ) started trying to get all the BTAS the Penguin was the top dollar figure. I started collecting around the time Clayface, Croc & Mr Freeze were hitting the shelves. So I needed Joker, Riddler, Two Face, Penguin, catwoman, Ivy. etc. I got them all at comic shows or comic book stores for $25 a piece or less. Penguin was a firm $80 to $120 every time I saw him for sale. When ebay started getting popular, that totally killed the market on the Penguin since ebay became flooded with them.

I had to pass on the Penguin when he first came out because he was "too expensive" for me to buy on my own; and I was "too old" to ask my parents to buy him for me. LOL, if only they had known. Anyways... I managed to grab most of the Villains when the Diamond BTAS Rogues Set came out. The thing is, Mr. Cobblepot wasn't in it. And to this date, he is the one Batman figure that has eluded me. Oh, well. I guess there's always that. But here's the difference between Penguin and Volcana. And that is... Nobody belly aches about tooling costs, and budget costs, and repaint costs, like Mattel. Nobody! So it doesn't make any sense for them to develop a figure like Volcana, keep her rare, and then develop a translucent version that doesn't even get released. The fact that they would spend so much of their tooling budget on figures like Aquaman & Volcana, and not try to make that money back, is just backwards.

It just doesn't jive that a company, who is strapped for cash, would throw away development money, and then claim they can't afford to include essential accessories like whips, scythes, batarangs, guns, lanterns, lassos and swords, etc., etc. etc.

I had to pass on the Penguin when he first came out because he was "too expensive" for me to buy on my own; and I was "too old" to ask my parents to buy him for me. LOL, if only they had known. Anyways... I managed to grab most of the Villains when the Diamond BTAS Rogues Set came out. The thing is, Mr. Cobblepot wasn't in it. And to this date, he is the one Batman figure that has eluded me. Oh, well. I guess there's always that. But here's the difference between Penguin and Volcana. And that is... Nobody belly aches about tooling costs, and budget costs, and repaint costs, like Mattel. Nobody! So it doesn't make any sense for them to develop a figure like Volcana, keep her rare, and then develop a translucent version that doesn't even get released. The fact that they would spend so much of their tooling budget on figures like Aquaman & Volcana, and not try to make that money back, is just backwards.

It just doesn't jive that a company, who is strapped for cash, would throw away development money, and then claim they can't afford to include essential accessories like whips, scythes, batarangs, guns, lanterns, lassos and swords, etc., etc. etc.

Common sense dictates it should be one or the other. Not both.

Ricky you can get Penguin on ebay now for like $20. I saw one last week sealed in the package buy it now $19.99. I remember when that diamond set was coming out. I still needed some of the figures out of it at the time. I refused to settle for that pack though because the figures were painted wrong. I'm pretty sure at the time that I needed Catwoman, Ivy, Joker & Phantasm out of there. Catwoman's costume, the gray almost looks black. Joker the purple was too dark & Ivy's coloring was wrong. I couldn't convince myself to have " repaints " in my display. Plus I think that I still needed Riddler & Penguin who were not in there. I just ended up paying more for the individual carded figures I needed, which I instantly opened. Like I mentioned before, I didn't have all that money to spend on a figure. So I was missing the Penguin in my display for quite some time. I found one at a yard sale in a box of figures for 3 bucks one day. He was a little scratched up & didn't have a coat. But he wasn't $120 so I was happy. I bought some material & made the coat myself, it wasn't very tough. Later in the 2000's I bought one still sealed in the package for like $15. As a matter of fact, I never did get the original Riddler either now that I think about it. Because he was around $60. But Kenner did release him in the Duo force line with clack pants & shirt. It always bugged me that I didn't have the original version of Riddler. I bought him around the same time I bought the Penguin on ebay maybe for $10. When I actually got him in the mail, I never even opened him. Seeing the original paint scheme made me like the one with the black pants & shirt more.

I guess that I just made a point here that you are trying to say. Kenner just kept reproducing the figures. If you missed out on them you could pick up versions of them that were painted in different color schemes to satisfy your collection. I remember towards the end of the line they were releasing a bunch of 2 packs as Walmart exclusives for $7.99 with the old sculpts in them like Two face, Joker & Riddler, they were just colored slightly different. Sure the Pernguin was never rereleased as far as I know. But you never heard Kenner complain about tooling & mold cost. Every new figure they released was an entirely new sculpt also. They didn't just have one buck that they used for everything & painting on different details for new figures. My collection of BTAS figures looks so much better on display than JLU ever could because each figure has his own stance & characteristics. They don't look all the same with new paint applications & just a new head. IMO Mattel does things so half @$$ed & I would much rather have Hasbro with the animated license.

You are correct, Mattel does whine a lot about tooling & mold costs for all their figure lines. I've never heard a toy company complain like this. So Mattel should make some of that money back by rereleasing Volcana, STAS Aquaman, All of the figures from the hard to find 6 packs & some other characters. All the molds are just sitting their collecting dust. Why should they care about the collector aftermarket on ebay? They aren't making any money from that. But if they do, they can just use a darker paint scheme or something to not completely destroy the collector value of the original versions. That's exactly what Kenner did. Maybe that's why you never heard them complain about tooling/mold costs.

Some of those other toys shouldn't even be in this comparison. All the Power of the Force figures from Star Wars were pretty rare for that matter. It was the last of the line, stores didn't want to carry them anymore. Kind of like these JLU figures that we are getting now. But there was much less a production run of everything bitd & for the most part they were toys that everyone opened & played with. It was before the collector craze, Same thing goes for the other figures mentioned. Wasn't Yak Face rare because Kenner had to stop making him since he resembled Joe Kool the camel? I guarantee if the Star Wars line continued, Kenner would have repackaged & rereleased all of those figures in the next series of figures. They did it with everything besides the Blue Snaggletooth since he was an error & not really even supposed to come out. .

Yakface was rare due to the fact that it was only released in Europe-- just like the last wave of the Secret Wars figures, The last 4 packs from SuperHero Squad, the bonus Star Wars Episode 1 Pit Droid Packs etc.. not the same level of comparison, it does not belong in that list.--

Of that list above- I believe Vision (and for that matter the original Warpath) is the only one on the list that matches the Volcana situation--it was just made in scarcer numbers for some reason-- (except Vision's rerelease Translucent version actually came out) -Both came out in the middle of a line.

I never said they were similar to Volcana and wasn't comparing anything in that post so not sure where that is coming from. I merely said that nearly every action figure toyline has rare figures and rattled off a few. If I were to compare though, I agree with you Vision would be the most similar situation but like you said they actually released the "translucent" version of him and too bad they didn't do the same for Volcana.

_________________“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” Thomas Jefferson

Ahhh, but after my first paragraph I posted about the topic. I posted about how I liked/disliked any of the figures in the pack. Curse you Jim, curse you!!! j/k

So anyways, is anyone else not too fond of the Superman Head sculpt? I personally think it is not very good, I am not trying to be rude or bag on the sculptor who sculpted it. But I realyl like the original Superman head more. I think just having someone sculpt a new neck and beard over the original would have made him fit this "new" body just as well.

D.

MOD- Sorry about that, Dusty...

Dusty wrote:

Anyways, I knew exactly what I was getting into when I bought this pack. Ironically though, I kept thinking "the paint apps. are going to suck, the paint apps. are going to suck" long before receiving the figures. But, because some of the 4-packs from before had excellent paint apps... A small part of me hoped these would be half decent. I suppose this should be another lesson to show me not to put too much hope in Mattel. (Thing is... I still won't learn it, I choose to give others the benefit of the doubt even when they let me down, and even when those others are a huge company, or people painting figures in China... and because I am still a huge JLU figure junkie through and through. )

So back to the figures, I love the sculpt of Vandal Savage himself, he looks so awesome. But I wonder if I am the only one who is not too fond of the "Hereafter" Superman head sculpt. Not to bag on the person who sculpted him, but I really prefer the original Superman sculpt much more.

lol, well I posted mostly on topic. BTW I was j/k with you, but thanks,

Had the same problem with Future Static. So much so that I didn’t bother opening them. Instead, I called customer service... told them about the situation and they were nice enough to send me a shipping label. Stuck the 3-pack back in the box it came in, printed the label, walked down to the UPS store and shipped the figures back to Matty.

A replacement order was processed as soon as Matty got them, and all I can say is that… well… it’s not the Matty of old. At least it wasn’t for me (and this is coming from someone who’s still waiting for a Kalibak 2-pack to show up.) So all in all, my recommendation is that you don’t torture yourself and instead give customer service a shot. Who knows… maybe you’re due a good experience!

Thanks RR, right now I am giving it a day or two to see how other's figures turned out, (because it may be with most of them have paint issues.) His bad paint app. is that his side and back of his head hair not being competely paint on staright (a similar thing has happened with a JLU figure in the past, and they all were like that.) But again thanks for the suggestion, I may end up donig that.

Over a week has went by & this pack hasn't sold out. I think people are starting to lose interest at this price point & poor quality. I'm predicting the next 2 packs won't sell out either. But I'm pretty sure the last one with Toyman, Firefly, & Dr Destiny will.